Cyfin FAQs

Answers to the most frequently asked questions about Cyfin.

If your question does not appear in the list below, please feel free to contact us at info@wavecrest.net.

Functionality and Pricing

• Q1. Does Cyfin filter?
• Q2. How many and what kinds of reports can Cyfin produce?
• Q3. Can Cyfin tell me how long somebody has been online?
• Q4. Can different policies be created for groups?
• Q5. What protocols does Cyfin report on?
• Q6. Does Cyfin do anything about malware threats?
• Q7. How is Cyfin priced, i.e., is it subscription-based, priced "per seat," etc.? And can I get a free trial?

Technical Integration and Product Administration

• Q8. What hardware specifications do you recommend, i.e., processor and memory?
• Q9. Can Cyfin be remotely administered?
• Q10. Can Cyfin be installed on a machine other than my proxy server, firewall, or caching appliance, e.g., on a desktop PC?
• Q11. What devices and operating systems is Cyfin compatible with?
• Q12. What is the difference between the evaluation software and the purchased product?
  If I purchase the product, will I need to reinstall?

Q1.  Does Cyfin filter?
A1.  Cyfin is not a blocking or filtering utility. It's designed to provide reports on your workforce's use of Internet and intranet Web sites. By analyzing the log files on your proxy server, firewall, or caching appliance, Cyfin creates categorized reports on workforce Web activity. (Note:  Wavecrest's CyBlock Web filter products are combined blocking and reporting tools.)

Q2.  How many and what kinds of reports can Cyfin produce?
A2.  Cyfin's customizable reporting offers a Dashboard, charts, automatic abuse detection, report templates, and drill-down capability. View report samples.

Q3.  Can Cyfin tell me how long somebody has been online?
A3.  Yes. Cyfin uses its Smart Engine with machine-learning analytics to interpret time online which allows you to run accurate reports that tell time online by domains. Better yet, Cyfin provides roll ups of domain (URL) activity into understandable friendly names clearly showing how long a user spends on, for example, Facebook or You Tube. With this proprietary feature, Cyfin provides industry-leading, easy-to-consume reports with focused time online information not available with firewalls, gateways, or even from competitors!

Q4.  Can different Web policies be created for groups?
A4.  Yes. Different Web policies can be created for groups and individual users. Customers can customize Cyfin to fit their Web policy whether they have a universal policy or multiple policies for different groups. A VIP group is also included in Cyfin's core grouping structure, and IDs placed in this group will not show up on any reports.

Q5.  What protocols does Cyfin report on?
A5.  Cyfin reports on HTTP and HTTPS protocols, i.e., it covers Web-based protocols.

Q6.  Does Cyfin do anything about malware threats?
A6.  Yes. Cyfin reports on categories with Web sites that are known security threats, e.g., Malware and Shareware/Freeware. Social Networking is another category with Web sites that are known for being high security threats to company networks. View the complete list of Cyfin's categories.

Q7.  How is Cyfin priced, i.e., is it subscription-based, priced "per seat," etc.? And can I get a free trial?
A7.  Cyfin is a licensed, subscription-based software service. Pricing is tiered, based on the number of people ("users") to be monitored. In general, the price-per-user decreases as the number of users goes up. Get a price quote and a free trial of Cyfin today.

Q8.  What hardware specifications do you recommend, i.e., processor and memory?
A8.  For optimal reporting performance, we recommend 2 GHz processor speed and a minimum of 2 GB RAM. Once installed, you should set the product to use at least 1 GB of that memory on the Setup - Memory screen. Note:  Bear in mind that processor speed is the most important hardware factor affecting reporting speed. If you double the processor speed, the time to create a report is cut in half. Memory becomes increasingly important with larger log files.  

Q9.  Can Cyfin be remotely administered?
A9.  Yes. While it can be administered from a server computer ("local" administration), it can also be administered from a separate, remotely located, client computer using Cyfin's Browser Interface. This design enables Cyfin to support local and/or remote administration. In addition, Cyfin can accommodate a wide variety of complex installation configurations, including those in heterogeneous environments with multiple servers.

Q10.  Can Cyfin be installed on a machine other than my proxy server, firewall, or caching appliance, e.g., on a desktop PC?
A10.  Yes. Cyfin has no direct communication with the proxy server, firewall, or caching appliance. Cyfin only requires access to the log files. The log files can be located on a local drive or a mapped network drive. UNC paths may also be used.

Q11.  What devices and operating systems is Cyfin compatible with?
A11.  View our list of compatible devices and operating systems. If your device is not in this list, please let us know. Most likely, we can add it.

Q12.  What is the difference between the evaluation software and the purchased product? 
If I purchase the product, will I need to reinstall?
A12.  The evaluation "mode" of Cyfin is the real product, not a special piece of evaluation software. The only difference between the evaluation mode and the licensed software is that actual URLs in adult content categories are not visible to trial users. However, reporting on activity in these categories is fully operational. Once the product is purchased, an Activation Key will be provided that will "turn on" the product, and all categories will be active. No reinstallation is required.